CHAPTER XV
DISAPPEARANCE OF LITTLE NELL
As was natural Dave and Henry journeyed side by side. They moved directly behind Mrs. Morris and little Nell, who brought up in the rear of the litter on which Joseph Morris rested, and the horses under the control of Rodney. Dave's father was not with the party, nor was trusty Sam Barringford, both having joined the party of rangers who formed the advance guard.
Following the instructions given them the pioneers and their families moved through the great forest as silently as possible, only the occasional groan of a wounded one, or the cry of some little child breaking the stillness. The route was past the rocks bordering one of the water-courses previously mentioned and then along what in those days was called the Old Buffalo Trail,—a well-beaten path along which in years gone by countless buffaloes had passed in their migrations to the east and return. The buffaloes were now fast disappearing from this territory, as are to-day the deer, wolves, and other wild animals which were likewise numerous.
It was a trying time, for the ears of all were ever on the alert to catch the first sign of an approaching enemy. Onward went Dave and Henry with their guns ready for instant use. Rodney guided the horses with the greatest of care, yet there were many jolts to the litter which more than once caused Joseph Morris to utter a groan he could not suppress.
It was calculated that if nothing out of the ordinary occurred the party would be able to reach Winchester in three days, but if the Indians followed them up and attacked them the journey would take much longer, for they would have to make a stand behind whatever breastworks they could manage to erect, and there remain until the coast was clear or the enemy drove them forth. There was also the ever-present possibility that the Indians would wipe out the expedition entirely, a possibility that made many of the married men shudder, as they thought of their wives and defenseless children.
"We can consider ourselves lucky if we reach Winchester without any more hair-raising," observed Henry, as they trudged along.
"Right you are," replied Dave. "The Indians seem worked up to the last degree. They'll trap us if they possibly can."
"There is one thing in our favor, Dave. Captain Tanner is as good a scout as you'll find in these parts, and with such men with him as Barringford and your father he won't fall into any trap unless it's a mighty slick one."
"To think that Jean Bevoir should be in this neighborhood with his thieving traders," went on Dave, after a pause. "I declare I wish he had fallen instead of one of those Indians we brought down. He isn't as good as some of the Iroquois, to my way of thinking."
"He'll get what he deserves one of these days, Dave. He has cheated so many redskins that some of them will lay for him some night, and that will be the end of him and his band. But I must admit, I can't understand how any redskins can follow the leadership of such a rascal, who gives them liquor only in order to rob them of their hard-earned pelts."
Two miles had been covered when there came a shot from the front, followed by three others. Immediately the pioneers and their families gathered behind a semi-circle of rocks and brush which happened to be near. Several Indians had shown themselves to the scouts, but as soon as one was shot the others fled. The whole party remained on guard half an hour longer, but none of the enemy returned, and the onward march was resumed.
Late that night Dave heard that two more white men had joined the expedition and not long after this he caught sight of Uriah Risley. He ran up to meet the Englishman, and Henry did the same.
"My wife, where is she?" asked Uriah Risley, of Henry. "Tell me quickly!"
"I can't tell you," answered Henry.
"But you were with her—so Dave told me."
"I was with her. But some Indians came and attacked us, and I told her to run and hide in the woods. Then the Indians came at me and I was struck down, and that was all I knew until long afterward when I found myself strapped to the back of a horse and traveling with a band of redskins." And Henry gave the particulars of the encounter, and of how Sam Barringford had afterward come to his rescue.
"Do you think my wife got away into the woods?"
"I really can't say. I know she ran off as well as her hurt ankle would let her, but it may be that some of the Indians went after her. I had my hands so full I couldn't look," concluded Henry.
Uriah Risley was pale and haggard and said he had not slept for two nights, nor had he had a regular meal for forty-eight hours. He had been to the vicinity of his burnt cabin and had followed up Henry's trail as best he could for several miles, but nowhere had he found a trace of his wife.
"I fear she is either dead or in the hands of those murderous redskins," he groaned, his eyes growing suspiciously moist. "Poor dear Caddy! She never could get used to this life either! It was a sorry day when we didn't remain in England, or in Annapolis." And he turned away to hide his emotion. Several came and offered him food and a portion of this he ate mechanically. Sleep, although he needed it badly, was out of the question.
Strange to say no Indian attack occurred during the following day, and that night found the expedition well on its way to Winchester. Some of the pioneers were of the opinion that the enemy had retreated westward, satisfied with the damage done and the booty obtained, but at this Sam Barringford, Captain Tanner, and a number of other old frontiersmen shook their heads.
"The Injun's at his worst when he's layin' low," was the way Barringford expressed himself. "We've got to keep our eyes peeled or fust thing you know we'll all wake up skulped."
Fortunately for the party one of the advance guard had brought down a deer and another had bagged a number of birds with some fine shot. The birds were made into a stew for the sick and wounded and the venison was cut up and divided all around. The expedition was in the midst of a wide timber belt, at a spot where there was a small clearing. Here, in a hollow, a camp-fire was lit and the meat cooked and stew made, and while one half of the able-bodied pioneers and soldiers remained on guard the other half had their first full meal since leaving the fort. Then the guard was changed and the other half satisfied the cravings of the inner man, after which sentinels were posted and the camp settled down to see if it could not obtain a much-needed night's rest.
Mrs. Morris and the others were gratified to see that while Joseph Morris's wound pained him not a little it did not break out afresh and gave every promise of healing rapidly when once the sufferer should reach a place where he could have a couple of weeks' quiet. Before retiring with little Nell the wife washed and re-bound the wound and gave her husband all the nourishment he cared to take.
Dave was on guard during the first half of the night, with his father on the next post not a hundred feet away. The night was dark and a low wind was rising which betokened a storm. All else was quiet and the camp-fire was allowed to burn low until only a few embers were left.
"It looks as if the Indians had really given it up," said Dave, as he and his father met on their walks up and down the two posts.
"Don't be too sure," answered James Morris. "At this very minute they may be preparing to rush in and overwhelm us. I won't believe we are safe until we come in sight of Winchester."
"Is the fort there in good shape?"
"Fairly good, although Colonel Washington is going to strengthen it all he can. The trouble is, Washington is having trouble with Governor Dinwiddie. The governor thinks he knows it all and won't give the colonel half the soldiers or equipments that are needed. He doesn't seem to realize that if Winchester should fall all the English settlers would be driven back over the Blue Ridge and would lose everything they possess in this locality."
When it came time to turn in Dave was glad enough to throw himself down and go to sleep, with nothing more than a thin blanket to cover him. His father lay beside him, with Joseph Morris, Mrs. Morris and Rodney and little Nell not far off.
How long he slept Dave did not know, 'but when he awoke it was with a start and a cough. There was a fierce shouting and shooting going on and the forest seemed full of smoke and fire. Hardly had he gained his feet when an arrow whizzed past his head burying itself in the tree trunk behind him.
"The attack is on!" came from James Morris, who was already up. "They have fired the woods on two sides of the camp and they are laying for us on the other two sides. I'm afraid it is going to be a fight to the finish."
There was no time to say more for the confusion on every hand was great. The shouting and shooting continued, and in the midst of this Captain Tanner ran around, followed by Lieutenant Baldwick, giving orders to the men and advising the women and children what to do. To the uproar was added the mad prancing around of some of the horses, who sniffed the smoke, and the screams of the frightened children, some clinging to the skirts of their mothers and others running about looking for their parents, who had become lost to them in the general mix-up.
"Stay with your aunt and uncle, Dave," said James Morris. "They'll need you. I'll go out with the soldiers," and in a second he was bounding away, to learn how bad the situation really was, and what might be done to remedy it.
What happened during the next hour seemed to the boy, afterward, more like some horrible dream than a reality. The war-whoops of the Indians continued to ring out on the night air, punctuated by numerous shots and yells from the wounded, while the fire in the forest grew brighter and brighter, driving the sick, wounded, and the helpless before it. Rodney and the others tried to get Joseph Morris back on the litter, but before this could be done both horses bolted away in the darkness, one upsetting Mrs. Morris and bruising her shoulder severely. Then Henry and Dave locked hands chair-fashion and started to carry the sufferer between them, only to stumble over some tree roots and go sprawling headlong. In the meantime Mrs. Morris looked around her, to discover that little Nell was missing.
"Nell! Nell!" she screamed. "Come here! Nell!"
"Isn't she with you, mother?" came quickly from Rodney.
"No. But she was here a moment ago. Nell! Nell!"
No answer came back to this cry, and now both Mrs. Morris and Rodney ran hither and thither in search of the little girl. Little could be seen, for the smoke was so thick it fairly blinded them.
As quickly as possible Dave and Henry arose and picked up Mr. Morris. The fall had hurt the sufferer's wound and he had to groan in spite of his efforts to choke back the sounds.
"Never—mind m-m—me!" he gasped. "Sa—save th—the others!" And then he fainted dead away.
"Your mother is calling for Nell!" cried Dave. "Here, Henry, put him on my back. I'll carry him somehow, and then you can go back to her." And after an effort Dave mastered his load and staggered on, in the direction already taken by a number of others. He was now more careful where he placed his feet and thus kept from going down again, although the load made him pant and exert himself far beyond his youthful strength. On and on he went, over rocks and tearing through low brushwood. An arrow went by his shoulder but he paid no attention. He heard more shots, and once a blaze of fire seemed to flash up almost in front of him. But he was not struck, and ten minutes later he felt that he had in some marvelous manner left the battle-ground behind him. He plunged into a hollow filled with wet grass and went down up to his knees. Unable to carry his load further he allowed his uncle's body to slip down beside him, and there he rested, trying his best to get back his breath and wondering what would happen next.